HomeTechnology PoliciesBimodal Voter Accreditation System the Cure to Electoral Fraud in Nigeria Innovations Bimodal Voter Accreditation System the Cure to Electoral Fraud in Nigeria The fourth republic brought high hopes and expectations for Nigerians in 1999. The people believing that through ballot system their votes would reveal their conscience through casting their votes but the electoral fraud has been the evil plaguing the uninterrupted democratic system for 21years. INEC through the constitution has been saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections. Allegations of electoral malpractices dominated the media space by the oppositions and grievances became the path of our democratic displeasure. Over the years electoral malpractices has been the same song in the lips of politicians and civil societies. Reducing electoral fraud in the polity became the herculean task for the organization responsible for conducting elections. INEC should be commended for the out-of-box thinking of deploying the technology that would allay electoral fraud and promote transparency in the polity. The introduction of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would eradicate voter apathy and increase civic responsibility from the citizens. The electronic system is a multifunctional integrated device that would operate on several fronts in the nation’s nascent democracy. This motivation by INEC should be celebrated by all political parties. The BVAS could serve as the Voter Enrollment Device during Voter Registration and Accreditation on Election Day. It is a think through tactics by INEC to substitute Smart Card Reader that has been used for previous elections. The BVAS would perform as INEC Result Viewing Device to be used for election result up-load on Election Day. The BVAS technology is also deployed to maximize full voter authentication on Election Day. This technology authenticates fingerprints and facial authentication. Any intending voters that fails both the facial and fingerprints test would not be allowed to vote. The new technology deployment is an assurance of voters’ credibility that gleans voter accreditation and result management process. BVAS is the electoral innovation that would assuredly reduce or eradicate multiple voting, Permanent Voter Card buying and selling. It would also eliminate electoral theft like ballot box snatching and electoral thuggery. The machine would ensure voters confidence, and it shall also boost electorate involvement in the election’s process and confirm citizens participation. There is no technology without challenges INEC should learn from the deployment, and train all the staffs that works with the organization. It should also ensure capacity on how the work force would adapt to the efficiency of the technology. The democratic journey of Nigeria is incomplete without a comprehensive electoral reform. The National Assembly should provide oversight function that should make us have a modern electoral process by the passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill to ensure voters accreditation, voting and transmission of results. The advanced democracies have been able to build a resilient institution when it comes electioneering process. The stage Nigeria is experiencing presently is a phase that could be improved upon if technology was the center of the election process. The electoral umpire through this technology would make rigging extremely difficult and ensure fraud free process. INEC has already tested the machine in the recent bye-election in Delta state and would possibly use it in Anambra’s gubernatorial election on November 6, 2021. The motivation by INEC to conduct a free and fair election that gives confidence to the will of the people through the ballot box is the best legacy the commission could give to the nation’s nascent democracy. The BVAS is an upgrade on the Smart Card Reader Voter Accreditation Technology (SCR) which was used in 2015, 2019 general elections. The SCR brought its own challenges which is identifying fingerprint of the voter with fingerprint template stored on the chip embedded in the voter’s Permanent Voter Card (PVC). The BVAS would surely bring electoral sanity to Nigeria’s democratic story; perfection is achieved when fallibility is encouraged. Nigeria’s democracy is a long walk of hope. Support PisonTechAfrica.com For inspiring tech content and articles, PisonTechAfrica.com is the platform to go. Great content takes a lot of resources; we are poised to motivate young start-ups and give them leverage with our platform. It is a platform for inspiring tech entrepreneurs to display their talents. Africa is the next big thing for technology. PisonTechAfrica.com is the tech media platform committed to positioning Africa in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 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